Just Ask Our Clients

Upside Group Franchise Consulting comprises the best minds in the industry. Handpicked, professional staff is recruited from across the country, offering clients traditional marketing experience from multiple disciplines, as well as franchise marketing expertise in advertising, sales, public relations, web site optimization, manuals and documentation, training, and business development. Here’s what some of our clients are saying about us:

“We found USG to be a great fit to help Pinot’s Palette achieve the ambitious goals of our budding franchise. USG’s holistic and pragmatic approach combined with their understanding of short and long term goals was refreshing.”

Craig Ceccanti, CEO
Pinot’s Palette

“We interviewed two other franchise consultants and determined that USG had the most thorough approach to guide us through the franchise process. USG President, Mario Altiery, proved to be the most responsive to our questions and did the best job making sure we understood the process before signing. In addition, USG came highly recommended by prominent franchise attorneys.”

Bruce Thomson, CEO
Solos Pizza Cafe

“I decided to partner with USG because of President Mario Altiery’s impressive business acumen, understanding, and patience with us through this process. USG is a company that views their clients as friends, not just numbers. I am looking forward to building a strong professional and personal relationship throughout our time working together and beyond.”

Hitesh Patel, Owner
Mojo Yogurt

“After meeting with franchise consultant and Upside Group founder, Mario Altiery, I appreciated and valued USG’s emphasis on executing and delivering a high-quality plan in an appealing time frame. Furthermore, USG had a clear understanding of my vision for the future of the company, and will be able to assist us in bringing the amenZone vision to the world.”

Amen Iseghohi, Founder/Owner
Amenzone Fitness

“When we made the decision to launch our franchise concept into the US market, we contacted 3 reputable franchise consultants. Of them all, the Upside Group stood out as the most knowledgeable in the industry. Their no-nonsense approach to developing solid platforms for which franchises can build a sustainable business is refreshing. We look forward to working with the Upside Group each step of the way.”

Shane Kailihiwa, Co-Owner and Board Member
Sumo Sushi

“By the time I approached Upside Group, I had learned a lot about the franchise system from a lot of perspectives. I found Upside to be passionate, understanding and genuine, besides being very knowledgeable. Upside Group took the time to guide me through the process in a way I could understand. That is what brought me here.”

Agi Fejer, Founder/Owner
Treasure Island

“We chose Upside Group based on their comprehensive approach, diligent follow through and their industry knowledge. When we compared Upside Group with other consultants in the industry, they were clearly the top choice.”

Kenneth Larkin, President
Transit Van

“We looked at about a dozen franchise consulting companies and spoke very seriously with 3. Of those three, we chose USG. We chose USG because of their knowledge, resources, and ease of use.

Most importantly, we need our future franchisees to have all the tools and resources necessary to be successful. After speaking with other business owners who had started franchises on their own, most wished they had used a franchise consultant from the beginning, because all the owners we had spoken with ended up with consultants due to problems that arose for them. Although we are a new franchise, we don’t want those types of issues and are very confident that USG will help us avoid them. USG’s experience in franchising all types of businesses is a huge asset to future franchisees of The Pancakery, and we are looking forward to working with them.”

Daryl Battaglia and Ricky Lehrmann, Co-Owners
The Pancakery

“USG has a proven track record of managing the franchise process from presentation preparation – to presentations – to negotiations – to closure in a professional way that ensures all of the details including legal are covered.”

Matthew Alexander, Co-Founder
Graffle

“Nextage has decided to partner with Upside Group in order to improve our effectiveness in selling Nextage franchises to qualified candidates. Our goal is to ensure that our franchisees are profitable and we are confident, with the help of franchise experts, that this goal is attainable.”

Nick Malouff, Regional Executive Director of the SW Region
Nextage

“I made the decision to partner with Upside Group because of their quality customer service and strong dedication to supporting the expansion of Oh My You’re Gorgeous.”

Stephanie Babines, President and Owner
Oh My You’re Gorgeous

“Years with the wrong legal team and franchise consultants cost us valuable time and money. Our system was suffering more than we knew. We made the decision to seek out and partner with the best teams in the industry. Since joining forces with Upside Group we have surpassed our goals and strengthened our franchise infrastructure. I just wish we knew then what we know now; we would have partnered with Upside Group from the beginning.”

Adam Dykstra, Franchisor
Rapid Recovery

“USG has been invaluable to the growth of Caruso’s Franchising Corp. We take great comfort in being able to turn to people that have valuable experience in a business that is new to us. USG has developed the manuals, website, FIP, and sales process for Caruso’s Sandwich Co. Combing our knowledge of our business, with the experience of USG in the franchise industry has enabled us to create a business that has the components to be successful in a competitive industry. We view our time spent with USG as a valuable, individualized education that has saved us wasted time and money trying to figure it out for ourselves.”

Chelle Caruso
Caruso’s Sandwich Company

According to Alan Tarr, NARPRO Executive Director, “We decided to go with Upside Group because they are truly experts in marketing franchises.”

Alan Tarr
Network of Neighborhood Auto Repair Professionals

“After 20 years in business we made the decision to Franchise. We started to do the research on the companies out there and went to the trade shows. When we met with Larry Schwartz we knew we had the right person. Then we started to work with all of the people at Upside and it was further confirmed for us that we made the right choice. Things have flowed seamlessly. We have been very happy with the progress so far and look forward to a successful future.”

According to Pinpoint President, Shannon Harvey, “After much research, we decided Upside Group was the right fit for us. We found the attention to detail and honesty were exactly what we were looking for in a franchise partner.”

Shannon Harvey, Owner
Pinpoint Leak Detection

“We are extremely proud to hear of this recognition; our franchisees work very hard in a very bad economy and are still gracious enough to verbalize their satisfaction in the Franchise Business Review survey. We have big plans for 2011 and beyond for our franchise system and franchisees.”

Chuck Bongiovanni
Care Patrol

“Just a quick note to say thank you for all your hard work over the last eight months as you took us from a startup company to an International Franchise Company. Right from the first phone call I knew that I made the right decision to work with The Upside Group. I was especially pleased with your attention to the details when working on our custom suite of manuals. Also, I was unbelievably impressed with the top notch professionals that you brought in to round out the team. Every time I was concerned with being overwhelmed by the process you were there to reassure me that I was not in this alone. That all the resources of The Upside Group were behind us. Equally impressive are the members of your team. Nicole and Mar-Lyn are amazing and are able to handle anything that came up. In closing Larry, I must say that the thing that most impressed me was your personal approach in working with me and my staff. You were always there for me no matter what time it was or how busy you were providing us with your vast knowledge, sometimes pushing us to rise to the challenge and sometimes counseling us that we were on the right track. You have become more that a consultant, you are a friend.. I look forward to an exciting 2012 and beyond.”

According to John Smith, CEO of SAFE Co., “It feels like I am part of the family and we are going to have a long and prosperous journey together. I chose to work with the Upside Group because they were very methodical and determined. Their continued perseverance was the key factor when I was deciding on what action (if any) I should take. Also, it was refreshing to see such a high level of professionalism from everyone involved. I have no doubt in my mind that Mario, Larry and everyone else at the Upside Group will do exactly as we planned and bring our project to market with smashing success. I look forward to a long successful partnership together.”

John Smith
SAFE Company

“After a slow start in getting our franchise launched we decided to hire Upside Group to help us out. Larry Schwartz immediately jumped into action and ran a fine tooth comb over everything we had in place. After evaluating, they got right to work in restructuring our franchise model into what it is today. We have been so impressed and pleased with the amount of knowledge, experience and advice they have offered up. Additionally, the franchise marketing materials they produced, including a redesign of our website, were all top notch. This is exactly the image we were looking to achieve and Upside Group, specifically Larry and his team, nailed it. They were committed to our success and it was very apparent that they were willing to go all the way. We are very grateful to have worked with them and we will continue to use their services as we grow. I would recommend Upside Group to any Franchisor who is looking to accomplish outstanding results.”

According to Kim Pothe, SBF Payroll CEO, “Upside Group Senior Consultant, Larry Schwartz, really made us feel comfortable and confident in the whole process of what we are planning to accomplish. Knowing how much experience USG has in the industry and being able to work with Larry made our decision a no brainer. Our goals for franchising are to expand nationwide over the next 5-8 years.”

Kim Pothe, President and CEO
SBF Payroll Services

According to Suzanne Altman, The Playroom CEO, “We believe in Upside Group’s passion and perseverance, and were overjoyed at the opportunity to partner with them. We look forward to a long and successful relationship with Upside as we watch the huge growth and success of The Playroom.”

Suzanne Altman
The Playroom

“After researching several consulting firms I decided on The Upside Group. I felt like they had the knowledge and experience to take my company all the way to completion of my franchise project. My experience with them has been a positive one. It has surpassed my expectations. I would recommend this company and Larry Schwartz to anyone considering franchising their business.”

Adrienne Kawamura, Owner
City Kitty

“Having Larry Schwartz and Upside Group on our team has brought a level of professionalism and expertise to the franchising of our system to the next level. The experience of partnering with them has simply been beyond our expectations. Thank you, Larry.”

According to Neil Palache, WMCI President and Founder, “Upside’s ability to make the complex simple is second to none. I knew going in that franchising in general would be a challenge. Using Upside’s systems, the franchising process has been exciting, inspiring and motivating. They are simply the best.”

“USG is simply a cut above… I get a behind-the-scenes look at many franchise brands, and their work is impressive! USG’s franchise manuals provide exceptional documentation that’s motivating, easy to read and use. It’s just what new business owners need to start strong, and seasoned owners need to stay strong.”

Great Biz Plans

“We couldn’t be happier with our relationship with Upside Group. After 90 years our family were experts in bread baking and making sandwiches! After winning countless awards for our food year after year one thing became apparent, our past experience wasn’t translating into us being a successful franchise. We just didn’t know what we didn’t know, but after hiring Upside Group franchise consulting we have gained invaluable knowledge in to how to be a great franchisor!”

Louis Sarcone, Owner
Sarcone’s Deli

“We made some pretty expensive mistakes prior to meeting Upside Group Franchise consulting. We now know what we didn’t know then, that some investment and planning up front can save you exponential time and money in the long run! We are thankful we went out and got the help we needed.”

Anthony Bucci, Owner
Sarcone’s Deli

“It has been such a relief to hand over the entire sales function to Upside Group. From franchise lead generation to franchise screening and closing the deal, they handle every step along the way and I trust them to represent our company like we would if we were handling the sales ourselves. We have not found another franchise consulting company that can come close to delivering the same results. We are definitely on the UP SIDE!”

Teresa Pollard, Director of Operations
Maintenance Made Simple

“It didn’t surprise us to hear of Upside Group being recognized for their work and garnering such prestigious awards! Upside Group’s Marketing is the most creative team and we are thrilled to be able to partner up with all of you!”

David Garduño
Garduño Mexican Restaurant

“As a strategic partner of printfast we appreciate Upside groups commitment to excellence in the design and Marketing materials that you have created. You have made our job easier in creating digital store fronts for your franchise clients. We have seen first hand how well your marketing has worked with the growth of numerous franchisees.”

Tom Lafata, President
PDG (Printfast) Solutions

“Upside Group reviewed our business goals and processes, then streamlined strategic operations so that every department and employee started operating as one cohesive unit instead of being limited by a tunnel vision view of their own responsibilities. The collaboration has increased our competitiveness, customer satisfaction and franchise profits and overall company growth. Now I wonder how we ever did things the way we did.”

Rich Folk, CEO, Member Manager
Emerald City Smoothie

“Just one year after Inspect-It 1st started working with Upside Group, our franchise development company tripled in size. Upside’s franchise strategy consulting lead to an impressive improvement in our operations and the streamlining they recommended in marketing, management and the legal arenas have been priceless in value.”

Thomas A. Santoro, Owner
Inspect-It 1st Property Inspection

Testimonials

IQ Testimonials

"After meeting with franchise consultant and Upside Group founder, Mario Altiery, I appreciated and valued USG’s emphasis on executing and delivering a high-quality plan in an appealing time frame. Furthermore, USG had a clear understanding of my vision for the future of the company, and will be able to assist us in bringing the AmenZone vision to the world.Amen Iseghohi, Founder/Owner Amenzone Fitness

“We found USG to be a great fit to help Pinot’s Palette achieve the ambitious goals of our budding franchise. USG’s holistic and pragmatic approach combined with their understanding of short and long term goals was refreshing.Craig Ceccanti, CEOPinot’s Palette

“We interviewed two other franchise consultants and determined that USG had the most thorough approach to guide us through the franchise process. USG President, Mario Altiery, proved to be the most responsive to our questions and did the best job making sure we understood the process before signing. In addition, USG came highly recommended by prominent franchise attorneys.Bruce Thomson, CEOSolos Pizza Cafe

“We chose Upside Group based on their comprehensive approach, diligent follow through and their industry knowledge. When we compared Upside Group with other consultants in the industry, they were clearly the top choiceKenneth Larkin, PresidentTransit Van

“USG has a proven track record of managing the franchise process from presentation preparation – to presentations – to negotiations – to closure in a professional way that ensures all of the details including legal are covered.Matthew Alexander, Co-FounderGraffle